Little Fawn (Game of Thrones)

Departure

<Chapter 5>

A weeks time later (I used a song for this chapter).

I reluctantly get prepared this morning. Grace dresses me in a long, cream-coloured fur gown, so I can stay warm on the ride. I decided to ride on horseback instead of carriage. Aunt Catelyn says it is un-lady like but I do not want to sit in a stuffy carriage for hours. It usually takes longer to ride to King's Landing. But I will have a small party joining me so it will take a day at the most. I mount my horse. My gown weighs me down slightly but it doesn't effect my riding. I say my good-byes to my Uncle, Aunt and cousins. I give the younger ones a tighter hug. I have no idea when I will be seeing them next. As I hug Robb he whispers in my ear,

"Be careful."

"I will," I whisper back.

As I feel the tears well up in my eyes I mount my horse. I wave farewell and ride off. There is only Grace, two guards, three carriers with me. I look behind until Winterfell is a speck in the grey, Northern sky. I blink away the tears and look straight ahead. The wind lightly brushes across my face, blowing strands of my long hair behind me. We start to begin a trot.

"Would you like to fasten the pace, Lady Baratheon?" asks the guard from ahead.

I clench my knuckles at the name. I have always thought myself to be a Stark, never a Baratheon.

"Yes Ser," I reply coldly.

We set in motion the quickening pace and gallop. After a few hours we decide to visit a local roadhouse. We tie up the horses and let them drink from the trough. We enter the door and look around. It is a vaguely bar. We take a table at the back. A barmaid with blonde curls takes our orders. We all order some meat and bread with some wine to drink. When she returns we eat quickly to return to the voyage.

I walk outside into the Northern air. We will soon be crossing the border. I recognize we are near the Twins. I stroke my horse, Tilly's, mane. She is a hazelnut brown colour with streaks of darker browns flowing through her hair.

My company strolls out of the roadhouse, looking more cheery. We continue to gallop past the Twins and the Eyrie. We are only a few miles away from the Capitol. We slow down to a trot to make ourselves look presentable. The sun begins to fall and we suspect there will be a feast on my arrival.

We make our way to King's Landing. I am shocked by the size of it and all the people. I look down to see a girl, only months younger than I helping up her sick, pregnant mother. I think they are peasants. We have peasants in Winterfell, but none of them are like this.

Grace points to the sky where I find myself looking at a castle of gold. I am dazed by the beauty of it, but quickly my thoughts go back into place when I see the entrance. I know that I am about to meet the most powerful family in the Seven Kingdoms and my father.